Control engineering is a branch of engineering that involves the application of control theory to a variety of design systems. Control engineers create control systems using a wide range of technology, from household appliances to rockets. Control engineering is based on mathematical theories that enable engineers to collect control feedback efficiently.
Engineers use the feedback information to create a control system once it has been computed. A fully functional control system will allow any machine to operate independently. A control engineer designed the control system for almost every type of machine. Machines would be unable to function without constant human intervention if this field of study did not exist.
Control engineers can command any system using modern technology. Electrical, financial, mechanical, chemical, fluid, and biological systems are all examples of systems. Control theory is divided into two main schools of thought, both of which are currently being researched. Modern control theory and classical control theory are two schools of thought.
The best way to tell the difference between modern and classical control theory is to look at the domain usage. An infinite time response that sweeps in frequency is referred to as a frequency domain. Frequency domains are similar to complex-s domains, but they are a literal abstraction of the frequency.
The complex-s domain or the frequency domain are the only two domains in which modern control theory is applied. Furthermore, both multi-input and multi-output systems can benefit from modern control theory. Control engineering is frequently used by those who practice modern control theory. Engineers who follow classical control theory, on the other hand, rarely use modern control theory.
Classical control theory, in contrast to modern control theory, is limited to single-input and single-output systems. Differential equations in conjunction with complex-s domains are used in classical control theory. Although control engineers provide the basic control systems for most machines, today’s control systems are almost entirely mechanical.
Within the field of engineering, control engineering is a relatively new discipline. Control theory was not put to practical use until the twentieth century. Technology was not a significant part of society prior to the twentieth century. As technology advanced at a breakneck pace, so did the demand for control engineers. Despite the fact that control theory was introduced into the mechanical engineering field in response to the need for control engineers, it was not widely used in other engineering disciplines until recently.
Control engineering courses are now commonly found in university-level electrical, electronic, mechanical, computer science, and aerospace engineering programs. Chemical engineering also includes a type of control theory, though this is more commonly known as process control. Control theory is incorporated into most engineering disciplines because it has proven to be extremely useful in the engineering field.